


Goodbye Despair, Hello Hope

by The_Cerulean_Author



Series: Super Duper High School Level Fluff ^u^ [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dangan Ronpa Fusion, Crying, Dangan Ronpa & Super Dangan Ronpa 2 Spoilers, Everyone Is Alive, Gen, Happy, Hugs, Multi, Post-Despair, Return To Hope's Peak, Reunions, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2017-01-23
Packaged: 2018-09-18 16:01:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9392555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Cerulean_Author/pseuds/The_Cerulean_Author
Summary: Imagine that two Neo World programmes were run; the first was for those caught up in The Killing School Life (aka the cast of Danganronpa 1) and the second was for those who had been infected by Despair (aka the cast of Danganronpa 2). Both were, unfortunately, corrupted by a despair virus. Fortunately, hope antiviruses performed miracles in both cases.In the aftermath of both programmes, when the world is setting itself right once more, Kibougamine academy has been converted into a safe house for the 'survivors' of both programmes by Future Foundation. Our 11 survivors meet up again to check out their old school...and get so much more than they could ever have /Hoped/ for.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Basically, I wrote this bc I think we've all had enough of the death and despair that Danganronpa has brought us and now I wanted fluffy stuff where all our dearly deceased favourite characters come back. Suck. It.
> 
> The idea for this fic came about after coming up with lots of ideas for fluffy drabbles with a friend of mine while we were being unproductive. That friend of mine knows who they are and thank you very much, this is for you. ^u^
> 
> Enjoy! xxx

'The massive high school towers over all the other buildings in bustling urban area. It's like the school stands at the center of the entire world. Hope's Peak Academy... It brings in top students form every field imaginable. A government funded school of privilege... They say if you come here and manage to graduate, you'll be set for life. With hundreds of years of tradition, it sends the cream of the crop into the work force every year. It was built to raise Hope in the world's future. Which make Hope's Peak a pretty fitting name...'

"...What an idiot I was to believe that." sighed Makoto Naegi, looking up at the huge building which held many memories for him. Some good, some bad...and some forgotten.  
"An idiot to believe what?" asked a voice which caused Naegi to turn his head.

Hajime Hinata was the person the voice belonged to. Hajime had been through just as many traumatic and life-changing events as Naegi had and yet, like Naegi, he had somehow made it out of those dark and dangerous (and despairing) times with super talented friends by his side.

"Oh, nothing." dismissed Naegi as Hajime joined him outside the gates of Hope's Peak "I was just thinking about how 'Hope's Peak' is a somewhat ironic name after all that's happened to us."  
"Hah...yeah, I guess you're right." agreed Hajime, also taking a moment to look up at the school and reflect.  
"Did you see any of the others on your way here?" asked Naegi, looking back at Hajime.  
"No, I didn't. Sorry." apologised Hajime "Do you think they'll come?"  
"I hope so." Naegi grinned, despite himself.  
"If that was a joke, Naegi, it was in rather poor taste." chided a calm female voice.

Both Naegi and Hajime turned and were greeted with the face of a girl with purple eyes and hair. Naegi instantly smiled upon seeing her.

"Kirigiri!" he exclaimed, unconsciously taking a step towards her.  
"Naegi, Hinata, you're both looking well." Kyouko Kirigiro greeted the two boys.  
"S-So are you!" returned Naegi, feeling his face heat up slightly. He'd always held a bit of a soft spot for the SDHSL Detective.  
"Kind as always, Naegi." Kirigiri smiled slightly.

Hajime was perfectly happy to stand back during this encounter and let the two talk. After all, while both of them had done a lot for him, he'd never really gotten to know the pair of them and their other friends once everything had subsided.

"Hey look! It's Hajime! Hell yeah!" exclaimed a female voice.  
"Well there's a face I didn't think I'd see again." a male voice replied.

Hajime recognised both voices immediately and whipped around to be met with the faces of Akane Owari (Ultimate Gymnast) and Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu (Ultimate Yakuza).

"A-Akane! Fuyuhiko! I didn't think you guys would show up- agh!" Hajime choked as Akane crushed him in a hug.  
"Like we were gonna miss this! 'Sides, if Future Foundation were the ones to ask us here, had to be important!" explained Akane, grinning.  
"Damn right." agreed Fuyuhiko "And anyway, we got a pact, remember, Hajime? If you're here, then so am I."  
"It's...it's really good to see you guys." admitted Hajime.

Their conversation was interrupted when Naegi cried out as he was sent sprawling to the ground by someone launching themselves at him from behind. The culprit was very quickly revealed to be another one of Naegi and Kirigiri's ex-Future Foundation colleagues Aoi Asahina (SDHSL Swimmer).

"Asahina, you're going to make Naegi suffocate if you don't get off him soon." said Kirigiri as calmly as usual, holding out a gloved hand to help the other female up.  
"Oh! Sorry!" Asahina pulled herself up then helped (a slightly winded) Naegi to his feet "I just- I was excited to see you, that's all!" she smiled her usual bubbly smile.  
"Good to see you too, Asahina." wheezed Naegi.  
"Oy vey. I haven't even arrived yet and people are already being floored by their own incompetence." remarked a snarky voice belonging to none other than Byakuya Togami (SDHSL Scion).  
"Ah Togami. Back safely from Towa city, I see." Kirigiri said casually, folding her arms and smiling.  
"Tch. Never mention that place in my presence again. My imprisonment there was a minor inconvenience at most, which I soon resolved. That is all." dismissed Togami.  
"Hang on, didn't my sister and Touko-" began Naegi.  
"I said that is all." repeated Togami through gritted teeth.  
"He hasn't changed at all." muttered Asahina.

Hajime, Akane and Fuyuhiko were conversing amongst themselves and were interrupted by the appearance of a small robot, who bore a strange resemblance to one of the trio's classmates.

"Wait a minute! Isn't that Minimaru?" questioned Akane, frowning.  
"Yeah." frowned Fuyuhiko "But wasn't the one who made that the first time-"  
"Name's Kazuichi Souda, Ultimate Mechanic!" boasted a male voice that belonged to exactly who it stated it was.  
"We know who you are, Kazuichi." Hajime reminded him.  
"Why did you feel the need to introduce yourself, dumbass?" asked Fuyuhiko.  
When Kazuichi joined the others, he smiled awkwardly and ran a hand through his bright pink hair "Heheh, I don't know. I guess I just thought you might have all forgotten me after last time."  
"Aww, no way! We swore we'd all 'member each other, right? And I always keep my promises!" vowed Akane, playfully punching Kazuichi in the shoulder.

For the next few minutes, the eight ex-students caught up as a group. They had all chosen to meet up at Kibougamine Academy because Future Foundation had explained that they had converted the school into a proper safe house and they would like the survivors of both incidents to at least check it out, if not stay there completely. Just like last time (for Naegi, Kirigiri, Asahina and Togami at least), the choice was their's.

"Well? Are we going to stand out here like imbeciles all day or shall we press on? I've grown tired of this meaningless banter." declared Togami.  
"W-Wait! Miss Sonia hasn't shown up yet!" protested Kazuichi.  
"She /is/ having to travel all the way from Novoselic, are you sure she'll make it?" mused Hajime.  
"Of course she will! Miss Sonia /will/ turn up, just you wait!" replied Kazuichi forcefully.  
"And anyway, Togami. You forget that two of our friends are still absent." Kirigiri said with a knowing smirk.  
"He probably wishes he /could/ forget!" giggled Asahina.  
"Silence." hissed Togami.

But the Scion's wish was not granted. For just then, the voice of one of the friends mentioned by Kirigiri made itself known to the group.

"Naegs! Toges! Glad you showed, dudes!" greeted Yasuhiro Hagakure (SDHSL Fortune Teller).  
"Oh joy." muttered Togami.  
"Hagakure- ugh!" grimaced Naegi as Hagakure crushed him in a bear hug.  
"Nice to see you, Hagakure." Kirigiri acknowledged, politely declining Hagakure's offer of a hug, as did Asahina.  
"Toges! Come on, dude!" Hagakure cheerfully made to hug Togami.  
"Don't touch me, you worthless idiot." spat Togami.  
"AHH! MY WHITE KNIGHT!" shrieked a voice which made the colour drain from Togami's face.  
"Please don't tell me that she's here too." Togami deadpanned to the others.

No one had time to answer, because within seconds a girl possessing extraordinary speed capabilities (and a ridiculously long tongue) had flung herself at Togami, wrapping her arms around his torso like she was clinging on for dear life. This girl was Genocider Shou, the serial killer counterpart of Touko Fukawa (SDHSL Writer).

"Aww dude! How come Kawa gets a hug and not me?" complained Hagakure.  
"Togami didn't have a say this time." laughed Asahina.  
"No. Get off me. Release me this minute. Cease! Tell her, Naegi!" ordered Togami.  
"Who...Who is this?" asked Hajime uncomfortably. Kazuichi, Fuyuhiko and Akane were all unnerved or shocked into silence.  
"Her name is Touko Fukawa, but the girl you are currently seeing is her other personality, an infamous serial killer named Genocider Shou." explained Kirigiri.

The four of them would have responded to this, but it appeared to be a case of one interruption after another.

"TOUKO! WAIT!" yelled a girl's voice that Naegi recognised at once.  
"Komaru?! What are you doing here?!" he gasped as his little sister caught up to the group.  
"M-Makoto!" Komaru hugged her brother and he gladly reciprocated "I came here with Touko, but I didn't realise she was coming /here/! Then a few moments ago she sneezed and, well, do I need to explain any further?" she looked pointedly at Fukawa and Togami.  
"No, you don't." laughed Naegi, then smiled warmly "It's great to see you...I can't believe how long it's been."  
"Too long." agreed Komaru, also smiling.  
"Awww! Naegi, you never told me you had a sister! You never said how cute she was either!" chirped Asahina.  
"O-Oh right! I better introduce you then!" he decided "Komaru, meet Aoi Asahina, Asahina, meet my little sister-"  
"Did you have a brother?" Komaru asked suddenly, looking wide-eyed at Asahina.  
"Y-Yes! I do! His name's Yuta Asahina, but how-" began Asahina.

*ACHOO!*

Everyone turned at the sound of the sneeze to look at Togami and Fukawa; Genocider's long red tongue had disappeared, as had Genocider herself (for now). Fukawa opened her eyes and looked around in confusion, quickly realising what she was doing.

"Master Byakuya...?" she whispered.  
"Get off me, you disgusting woman." instructed Togami, in a strangely neutral tone.  
"Ahh! Y-Yes! Of course, Master! I-I'm disgusting! I'm sorry that sh-she made an appearance, I couldn't h-help it! B-But she hasn't killed anyone else, M-Master! I swear it, I k-kept our promise, I-I did!" stammered Fukawa, letting go of Togami.  
Togami listened to her rambling before folding his arms "Hm. I see. You've done well." he uttered, looking away from her. Fukawa looked like she might pass out from the 'praise' (if you could call it that).  
"It's like she's a completely different person." muttered Akane to Fuyuhiko.  
"No shit, Sherlock. She /does/ have split personality disorder." retorted Fuyuhiko.

While this scene was going on, Kazuichi was stood a little bit apart from the others, looking up and down the street with a concerned expression on his face.

"What's up, Kazuichi?" asked Hajime, coming over to him.  
"I'm worried about Miss Sonia." admitted Kazuichi "What if she got lost or something went wrong while she was travelling over here or-"  
"Hey, I'm sure she's absolutely fine." assured Hajime "Remember, this is Sonia we're talking about, right? She's more than capable of taking care of herself."  
Kazuichi sighed "Yeah, you're right. I just wish she was here already."

Hajime looked past Kazuichi and saw something- or rather, someone- coming up behind him.

"I think that wish may come true." he smiled "Look."  
Kazuichi looked round and his face lit up as he laid eyes upon Sonia Nevermind (Ultimate Princess), who was running down the street towards them.

"Hajime!" she cried at the precise moment that her shoe caught on the edge of a poorly laid paving stone, causing her to trip.  
"S-Sonia!" Hajime caught her before she fell, allowing her to lean against him before she steadied herself.

Kazuichi had a look on his face like he was repeatedly being shot before hanging his head. Sonia never paid him any attention.

"Thank you, Hajime! My hero, as always." beamed Sonia, setting herself upright again.  
"It's nothing, really!" Hajime said quickly "You look well, how was your journey?"  
"Very good, thank you! You look well also! You too, Kazuichi." she turned to the mechanic.  
"Huh? What-?" Kazuichi's head shot up and he found Sonia smiling at him "Th-Thanks, Miss Sonia! You look amazing! A-As always!" he grinned, blushing slightly.  
'Yep.' Hajime thought 'His crush on her is as big as always.'

Now that everyone had arrived and all the excitement had calmed down, it was mutually decided by all that it was time to step foot into the grounds of Hope's Peak Academy.

"Just please don't let it be like last time..." Naegi whispered to himself.  
He started slightly when a gloved hand took hold of his own. Looking up, he saw the other hand belonged to Kirigiri, who gave him a look and a small smile which said 'together, we'll be ok'.  
Naegi nodded in understanding and squeezed Kirigiri's hand lightly before taking a deep breath to calm his nerves and looking forward, right at the front doors of Kibougamine Academy.

With everyone else, he took a step across the threshold.

"..."

There was a pause. Nothing happened. No dizziness, no blackouts, nothing. So far so good. Knowing now that this didn't seem to be trap (not at the moment, at least), everyone now walked towards the doors of the academy with a little more confidence in their step.

Naegi and Hajime traded glances with each other before slowly pushing open the doors together. The doors creaked on their hinges as they gave way to a view of the deserted entrance hall.

"This place looks a lot less creepy without that huge mechanical door and bolts on the windows." Asahina's voice sounded louder than it was in the deafening quiet.  
"I agree with Hina, dudes." nodded Hagakure.  
"No one asked for your opinion, fool." Togami dismissed.  
"I can't believe I'm setting foot in Hope's Peak Academy." whispered Komaru.

The twelve of them filed into the entrance hall, noting how echoey their footsteps sounded.

"I never got to see this, first time around. Even if I did, I can't recall it." murmured Hajime, looking around the room in awe.  
"You're one of us, Hajime. Don't forget it." Akane placed a hand on his shoulder as Kazuichi, Sonia and Fuyuhiko agreed with her.

"Wait. What's that sound?" Fuyuhiko muttered.  
"What s-sound?" asked Asahina nervously.  
"It's...i-it's coming from th-there." Fukawa pointed at a dense patch of shadow.  
"Oh God! Wh-What if it's a m-m-monster, dudes?!" whimpered Hagakure.  
"Y-Y-You can't be serious!" Kazuichi's voice had risen about half an octave.  
"Shut the fuck up, you bastards!" growled Fuyuhiko.  
"K-Komaru! You still have that gun that Master gave you!" squeaked Fukawa.  
"R-Right!" Komaru equipped her megaphone gun, set it to 'Break' and aimed it at the patch of shadows.

The twelve of them held their breaths as the sound drew closer and closer and closer, until-

Something small and white popped out of the shadows and everyone screamed and Komaru blindly pulled the trigger on her gun, completely missing it's target.

"KYAHHH! It's not nice to shoot at your teacher, you know!" it said reproachfully.

The screaming stopped abruptly when everyone but Komaru recognised the voice and Fukawa clamped a hand over Komaru's mouth to shut her up. Returning to their senses, the ones who knew the figure stood before them realised, while thanking every deity that may or may not exist, that it was not who they had originally thought it was (Monokuma).

"M-Monomi...?" Hajime trailed off in pure disbelief.  
The rabbit tilted her head to the side in confusion "I'm not Monomi! My name's Usami! I'm a magical girl who's sweet like milk!"

It was true that this rabbit looked like the one that Hajime, Akane, Kazuichi, Sonia and Fuyuhiko had first met at the start of the Neo World programme as opposed to her transformation once Monokuma had taken over.

Sharing a glance with others, Hajime took a step forward and knelt down in front Usami.  
"Sorry, M- I mean, Usami, but...don't you recognise us?" Hajime pressed a hand to his chest to show he was being sincere.  
Usami studied him for a moment before smiling fondly "Of course I recognise you, Hajime! What kind of teacher doesn't recognise her students?"

Hajime and the others smiled and relaxed at this news. Usami had also been an important figurehead in Future Foundation, as well as a key character in the Neo World programme. If Kibougamine Academy really had been converted into a safe house by Future Foundation, then it wasn't totally out of the question for Usami to be here.

"This is wonderful! I think I speak for all of us when I say we missed you, Miss Usami." smiled Sonia.  
Usami blushed (as welll as inanimate object can) "Thank you, Sonia! I missed you too! But now all my students are here and we can all work together and do our best! Love! Love!"

Something about Usami's words was strange to Asahina and she questioned as much.

"What do you mean 'all my students'? Are we the only ones here?" she wondered.  
"Oh, no no no!" Usami shook her head "Everyone else is gathered in the gym!"  
"...'Everyone else'? Hmm..." murmured Kirigiri.  
"Now, I must go and round up those who have not yet grouped in the gym. Why don't you all go on ahead and greet your classmates!" With that, Usami waddled off down the corridor, leaving Hajime and the others to question their next move.

"What now, dudes?" asked Hagakure.  
"How do you all know Usami and how does she know you?" asked Komaru.  
"I'll explain as soon as I get the chance." promised Naegi.  
"In my opinion, we have but one choice of action." decided Sonia.  
"What's your plan, Miss Sonia? Whatever it is, we should definitely do it!" Kazuichi insisted eagerly.  
"Isn't it obvious? We should go to the gym and meet these other students!" Sonia declared, then immediately set off down the corridor towards the gym.  
"Well I don't know about you guys, but I'm following Miss Sonia." Kazuichi quickly followed after her.

The remaining ten quickly looked at one another before following the optimistic Princess and smitten Mechanic. They had just barely reached the gym doors when they heard dual screams from Sonia and Kazuichi. Hearing this, the others lost all hesitation that they had and burst into the gym.

What they found there was something that they could never, ever have expected in all their wildest and craziest dreams. Everybody froze in utter shock.

The gym was packed full of people. Not just any people, though. These were people that Naegi, Kirigiri, Asahina, Togami, Fukawa, Hagakure, Hajime, Akane, Kazuichi, Sonia and Fuyuhiko all knew because these were the people, the friends who the eleven 'survivors' had lost in one way or another during their time in their respective Neo World Programmes. No one seemed to be able to move.

"OH MY GOD, DUDES, G-G-G-G-GHOOOOOOOSTS!" Hagakure's terrified wail scared everybody back into life.  
"I can assure you, Hagakure, we are not ghosts." a woman with white hair, scars and more muscles than most of the men in that room made her way to the front of the crowd of people. Her name was Sakura Oogami (SDHSL Fighter).

A scream rang out across the gym, followed by an echoing thud as Asahina fell to her knees. Her eyes were wide and she was trembling violently.

"S-Sakura...?" Asahina's voice was shaking as much as she was.  
Sakura's icy blue gaze fell upon Asahina and the fighter froze again.  
"...Asahina, my girl. Is...Could it truly be you?" she murmured.

A sob tore its way from the swimmer's throat as she scrambled desperately to her feet to throw herself at Sakura for fear that her friend would disappear and she would lose her all over again. Asahina broke down completely when Sakura held her tightly to hold her friend up, to assure Asahina that she was truly here and to assure herself that Asahina was truly here too as silent tears trickled down her face.

In the aftermath of that moment, that's when it became clear to all those who had survived the Neo World Programme. Their friends were alive. Alive and here right before them.

Hajime asked what everyone else was thinking "How the heck is this possible?"  
"I would say tell them, Naegi, but I don't believe you have a single clue about this either." mused Togami.  
"Um...I-I think I might be able to explain this." announced a timid voice from the gym doorway.

Naegi and the others whipped around and several people's faces lit up.

"Ch-Chihiro!" exclaimed Naegi, recognising Chihiro Fujisaki (SDHSL Programmer). He was clutching his laptop and his cheeks were flushed as though he had run to the gym.  
Fujisaki smiled adorably in a way that was so familiar to all who knew him and was about to reply when two more people came hurtling to the front of the gym.  
"Get the fuck out of my way!" yelled Mondo Oowada (SDHSL Biker).  
"That is not respecting your fellow classmates!" scolded Kiyotaka Ishimaru (SDHSL Prefect).

Oowada reached Fujisaki and scooped the petite boy up and sat him on of his broad shoulders with no effort required.  
"Ok, bro, now everyone can hear you and if they can't, I'll just yell until they all shut up." grinned Oowada.

"Th-Thank you, Oowada. Alright." Fujisaki addressed the room at large. He then proceeded to explain that, while the programmes that they had all been placed in had worked up until the point they were corrupted by a Despair Virus, something must have happened at some point to create an Antivirus which had restored the systems. According to Usami and Alter Ego, whom Fujisaki had gained all this information from, the Hope Antiviruses had been so effective that, not only had they eradicated the Despair Virus from the systems, but they had restored all the deceased avatars too, thus meaning everyone was able to have been brought out of the programme and woken up.

"Such is the glorious power of Hope." a boy near the back of the room sighed wistfully. A strange tingle ran down Hajime's spine as he recognised it as the voice of Nagito Komaeda (Ultimate Luck/'Hope').  
"That bastard's here too?!" snarled Fuyuhiko.  
"Lemme at him! Imma punch him into next week for all the shit he pulled!" growled Akane.  
"If you're going to do that, remember to SHOW SOME SPIRIT!!!" roared a deep male voice, which seemed to smack Akane to her senses.  
"C-Coach Nidai...?" Akane looked the room in confusion.  
"If you're going to fight, then I look forward to seeing the stronger Akane. If you've been training, that is." rumbled Nekomaru Nidai (Ultimate Team Manager), moving through the other resurrected students to stand before Akane.  
The gymnast's jaw dropped "...S...SON OF A BITCH! YOU'RE ALIVE?!" she yelled, launching herself at him.

To anyone who didn't know Nekomaru and Akane's relationship well, one would assume Akane was angry at Nekomaru. Hell, even those who knew the two of them currently thought that. Until Akane tackled Nekomaru with a hug, sending both of them crashing to the floor.

"You were dead, Nekomaru! You were dead! I thought I'd lost you for good! Twice! I'm so mad at you right now! Don't ever ever scare me like that again, you hear me?" Akane was yelling, tears in her eyes.  
Nekomaru chuckled "Ok, ok, I promise. But know this, Akane Owari. Both times that I did what I did, I did it to protect you. After all, the bond between a top-notch athlete and their manager is one that cannot be severed!”  
Akane swiped at a stray tear that rolled down her cheek, mumbling "I hate you...protective old man." even as she hugged him again.

Once that was settled, everyone else took this opportunity to speak with friends that they thought that they would never get the chance to speak to again. A few were missing at present, but it was assumed that Usami was rounding them up. Hifumi Yamada (SDHSL Otaku) made a beeline straight for Mondo, Ishimaru and Fujisaki, pleading with the programmer to let him borrow the laptop on which Alter Ego resided. Both Ishimaru and Oowada (Fujisaki's self-proclaimed bodyguards) absolutely forbade this. Naegi took his sister by the hand with the intention of introducing her to all of his friends. The most emotional reunion he had was most definitely with Sayaka Maizono (SDHSL Idol); Komaru fan-girled over meeting one of her favourite singers while Naegi surprised her by telling her he forgave her for betraying him and setting him up for murder (looong story). They were shortly joined by Leon Kuwata (SDHSL Baseball Player), who seemed to have some kind of...arrangement with Sayaka. Maybe at some point, Naegi would have been jealous of this, but then he spotted Kirigiri mediating an argument between Togami and the Ultimate Imposter (who looked identical to Togami, if not a little...bigger) and realised that he that he didn't actually mind.

Fuyuhiko had detached himself from the rest of the group so as to be alone with his thoughts for a minute or so. For him, this all seemed way to good to be true. Also, his heart may have been feeling a little bit heavy because he hadn't yet been able to find the one person he wanted to see more than anyone else in the world.

"...! Young Master?" a female voice behind him caused Fuyuhiko's breath to catch in his throat.  
"P-Peko...?" breathed Fuyuhiko, his eyes wide. He didn't turn around. This couldn't be...It...couldn't be her. Could it?  
"Who else would it be, Young Master?" asked the voice. The title it kept addressing him by caused tears to spring to Fuyuhiko's eyes "Please, turn around." it requested.  
Fuyuhiko shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut and willing away his tears.  
"Young Master, please...Why won't you turn around?" the voice sounded like it was almost pleading.  
"Because...Because I'm scared, ok?! I'm...fucking terrified that if I turn around you won't fucking be there! I couldn't fucking take it if that was the case!" he yelled.

His raised voice grabbed the attention of the others, who all turned to watch the scene between the Yakuza and the person stood behind him. Fuyuhiko would probably have gotten angry if he saw everyone looking at him on verge of breaking down, but his eyes were closed and he was focused solely on the voice behind him. H-Her voice...

"Turn around, Young Master...Turn around and see that I am exactly where I should be. By your side. Please just...just look at me." the voice behind Fuyuhiko broke during the last sentence.  
"...Alright. I will. But, I fucking swear, if you're not there then...then my heart will break just like it did when I lost you the first time." the Yakuza confessed "And not just because it means I'm hearing voices and going crazy."  
"Don't worry, Young Master. I'm here." the voice softened considerably. Then a hand curled around Fuyuhiko's wrist.

This contact shocked Fuyuhiko into action and his eyes flew open as he rapidly twisted in the other's grasp to see the ruby eyes of Peko Pekoyama (Ultimate Swordswoman).

"Young Master-" began Peko, but any words she had died when Fuyuhiko hugged her fiercely.  
"It's you....i-it's really really you...fuck....f-fuck...Peko..." Fuyuhiko honest to God sobbed as he clung to his dearest friend.  
"...Master Kuzuryuu...F-Fuyuhiko..." whispered Peko, holding Fuyuhiko like he was the most precious thing in the world to her (which he was).  
"Sh-Shit..." Fuyuhiko only cried harder when Peko said his name. She'd never done that as long as he'd known her. Not once.  
"I only ever wished to protect you...I apologise for upsetting you like this...I'm sorry if my presence has caused your upset-" murmured Peko, her own tears falling.

"Shut up! Shut the f-fuck up!" interrupted Fuyuhiko, looking up at her with tears streaming down his face, well aware everyone was still watching them "H-How the hell can you apologise for coming back to me?! That's all I ever fucking wanted since that day! Do you rememeber what I told you, Peko? Before you went to your fucking death? 'Don't go...!' I screamed 'I need you! Don't leave me!' I... I never wanted a tool! I just wanted you! Only you! You stayed by my side...all that time...why don't you get it...?” he buried his face in her shoulder "What the fuck do I have to say, Peko? What the fuck do I have to say to make you understand..." he mumbled.  
"I...I think I see now. It will take time for me to show you...but I think I finally do understand..." Peko whispered almost inaudibly, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears.  
"Just...swear to me that you won't ever leave me again, understood?" Fuyuhiko muttered into the grey fabric of Peko's shirt.  
"...I swear it, Young Master." Peko promised, holding Fuyuhiko close.

"And all you bastards can stop staring at us. Take a picture, it'll last longer." Fuyuhiko huffed at the spectators, which seemed to lighten the mood a little and nearly everyone went back to their own conversations.  
"Big sis already did!" piped up Hiyoko Saionji (Ultimate Traditional Dancer), a large grin on her face and a camera in her hands.  
"No I didn't! Saionji borrowed my camera just now!" protested Koizumi Mahiru (Ultimate Photographer), turning to the mischievous dancer.  
"U-Um...I-I'm not s-sure i-if that th-that was very n-n-nice, S-Saionji..." stammered the extremely nervous Ultimate Nurse, Mikan Tsumiki.  
"Shut the hell up, pig barf!" Saioniji snapped at Mikan, who immediately trembled and started apologising profusely.  
"Some things never fucking change." Fuyuhiko muttered to Peko as they watched the three girls.  
"Agreed, Young Master." nodded Peko.  
Fuyuhiko slipped his hand into Peko's without looking, hoping she wouldn't notice his blushing. Little did he know that she was blushing too.

Sonia had been joyfully navigating her way through the gym, greeting her friends who she thought she'd never have the priviledge of seeing again. She had just finished speaking with Ibuki Mioda (Ultimate Musician), who was just as hyperactive as Sonia remembered her, if not more so, when she felt something pulling at her sock. Looking down, the Princess spotted a small ball of fur running away from her towards the doorway of the gym.

Apparently she was not the only one to have seen this, as she was joined by Celes Ludenberg (SDHSL Gambler), who also commented on the four tiny creatures.

"I sincerely doubt I am and do correct me if I am mistaken, but was that a hamster I witnessed with you just now?" inquired Celes in an uninterested voice.  
Sonia gasped in realisation at Celes' words "A-A Hamster?!" she repeated.

And without another word, Sonia turned on her heel and pursued the hamster as fast as her legs would take her. Her heart was fluttering in her chest and she was praying to every occult authority she had ever studied that the hamster would lead her to who she thought it would. Sonia followed the hamster through the school, all the way up to the greenhouse on the top floor.

"Cham-P? Cham-P!" During the time she had spent with the hamsters' owner, Sonia had learned all the hamsters' names and gotten to know each of them. After Celes had identified the creature as being a hamster, Sonia had quickly recalled the name of the chubby one with orange fur "Where are you?" she called breathlessly, having run up several flights of stairs to get to the greenhouse.

All of her exhaustion evaporated as soon as she crossed the threshold. Suddenly, she found her feet glued to the spot as her blue eyes lay upon the following scene:

Sitting on a bench with his back to her, Gundham Tanaka (Ultimate Breeder) held three of his Four Dark Devas of Destruction in his hands, speaking in a gruff murmur to them.

"This is not like 'Invading Black Dragon' Cham-P at all. He is nowhere to be found, where on earth could he be?"

A series of chirps and squeaks caught Gundham's attention, making him twist around in his seat. First he saw Cham-P come scurrying towards him, up onto the bench then up onto his usual place on Gundham's shoulder. Then he saw-

"Sonia...?" his eyes widened and he turned and stood up, still holding his hamsters.  
"G-Gundham..." whispered Sonia shakily "Gundham!" she yelled, running to throw her arms around him.

Gundham blushed darkly, his hamsters fleeing into their preferred place inside his scarf.

"...My Dark Queen." he murmured, allowing a rare smile to cross his face.  
"I've missed you so much...I never thought I'd get to see you again...I thought I'd lost you." Sonia breathed, keeping her eyes closed to keep her tears at bay.  
"Yet here I stand before you now. This certainly explains where Cham-P ran off to." uttered Gundham "However, there is something I must know."

Sonia opened her eyes and looked up at him. His face still held a small amount of colour.  
"What is it?" she asked gently, smiling despite her watery eyes.  
Gundham sighed deeply and prized Sonia's arms off of him, holding her at arms length.

"Do you hate me for what I did? For murdering Nekomaru? he asked her, his voice grave.

This question made Sonia's tears start to trickle and she grabbed Gundham's wrists "Of course I don't hate you! I never have and I never will! Gundham...your actions saved the lives of everyone else when we were trapped in the funhouse. Akane and I spoke afterwards and she told me that she forgave you, because if it hadn't been you who killed Nekomaru, it could very likely have been Nekomaru who murderered you."  
"Tch. You seriously believe that foolish automaton could have-" Gundham dismissed, but Sonia cut across him.

"Do not tut when I am speaking to you, Gundham Tanaka!" She shouted angrily, stunning Gundham "How dare you dismiss my words when it is you I am trying to defend! For all your intelligence and arrogance, how do you not understand?! God damn it! I travelled all the way here from Novoselic and never once, in all my hopes and wishes did I expect to find you! And once I finally find the man I love again, he treats me as coldly as when I first met him. Fine!" Sonia pushed Gundham away from her "The Supreme Overlord of Ice could not be a more fitting title!"

Very upset at Gundham's doubt that she would ever not forgive him, Sonia turned and made to stride off out of the greenhouse. Gundham's shocked voice was what stopped her leaving.

"The man you...? Sonia, you...you love me?" the question hung heavy in the air and made Sonia's chest ache.  
"Yes! I do!" she confessed with a sob, looking back at him "Deeply and with all my heart! That is why I was able to forgive you for what you did! Why I s-screamed and pleaded for Monokuma to spare your life!" Sonia's legs gave way and she fell to the floor "Never once did I want you to change...I just wanted to give you the chance to not be alone anymore...I love you because you were first people to ever treat me like a person instead of a princess...and I love you because I could see the man hiding behind the beast." she mumbled.

Gundham was moved by Sonia's heartfelt speech. She was the first person to ever show him affection. To take the risk of getting close to him where others had ran away. In the prolonging moments of silence after Sonia's confession, Gundham silently closed the distance between them and knelt down to hug Sonia tightly.

"...This, too, must be the will of causality. To return to me the first person who did not fear or scrutinise me beside my mother." he murmured "Before I met you, Sonia Nevermind, I believed that the companionship of my Four Dark Devas of Destruction and the vision of the Tanaka Empire was enough. I was wrong and discovered as much from the moment you touched my life. My enlightened world was once again cast in darkness until this day. This day...when you came back to me."

After this, the temperature of their reunion warmed up considerably. And, in the unlikely event that Gundham himself shed a tear or two, he could trust that Sonia and his Four Dark Devas of Destruction would never tell another soul.

 

A while later, Sonia and Gundham went back to the gym. They were hand in hand and sharing Gundam's scarf, with two hamsters each on their shoulders. Kazuichi caught sight of them and once again looked like he'd been shot through the heart. 

In their absence, the others had decided to throw a party to celebrate the reunion with their classmates. Hanamura Teruteru (Ultimate Chef) was currently in the school kitchen, preparing food for the event (Akane was already salivating. She was a lover of food anyway, but Teruteru's cooking was really something else). 

Ibuki and Sayaka were up on the gym's stage, providing the music via a live performance with Saionji as the backing dancer. The lighting was more like that of a disco thanks to some skillful programming from Fujisaki and people were sat in the bleachers, mingling in small groups. Sonia and Gundham went over to where Hajime, Peko, Fuyuhiko, Akane and Nekomaru were sat.

The five of them greeted the couple and gladly welcomed them into their conversation, all of them happy just to be in each other's company again.

Hajime zoned out at one point, as he looked around the gym, seeing everyone smiling and alive and together.

Well. Almost everyone. 

'Chiaki...I wish you could see this.' Hajime thought with a sigh 'You were the one who believed in us all the most, yet you're the only one not here...Thank you, Chiaki.' a sad smile flickered across his face.

Fuyuhiko noticed this out of the corner of his eye and made to offer some kind of support to his friend when he looked past Hajime and saw someone who had just entered the gym.

"Hey, Hajime." Fuyuhiko tapped Hajime on the shoulder to get his attention.  
"What?" Hajime jerked out of his daze and looked at the Yakuza.  
Fuyuhiko just grinned and pointed behind Hajime, who turned and followed his gesture.

His jaw dropped.

There, speaking with Usami and very much alive, was Chiaki Nanami (Ultimate Gamer). When Usami waved at Hajime, Chiaki's eyes met Hajime's and she smiled in that way Hajime remembered so well and he unconsciously scrambled to his feet and sprinted across the gym, scooping Chiaki into a hug like he never wanted to let her go again. And he didn't, because she was here, she was /here/ and alive and safe and Hajime thought he might cry from joy at seeing her again.

"Hajime. Are you alright? You're shaking quite a lot." Chiaki told him in that soft-spoken voice of hers.  
Hajime laughed weakly, unsure if it was more of a sob or not "I'm fine, Chiaki. No, scratch that, I'm great, really great. But...how? How on earth are you here? I mean, it's great that you are, but-"  
"Who said that my body wasn't in our Neo World Programme with the rest of you?" smiled Chiaki "My...player stats were just a little different from yours, that's all."

Hajime really did laugh this time, wiping away his tears before they got a chance to fall. Then he pulled back from the hug and looked at Chiaki.

"...I'm really glad to see you, Chiaki." He said softly.  
Chiaki blushed, taking hold of Hajime's hands (which made Hajime blush in turn) "I'm glad to see you too, all of you." Hajime followed Chiaki's gaze as she looked at all their friends "And I'm glad that I never stopped believing in all of you. Oh!" Chiaki's gasp brought Hajime's attention back to her "Now that we're all off Jabberwock Island, will you still keep your promise?"  
"What promise was that?" blinked Hajime, trying to recall the conversations he'd had with Chiaki during the Neo World programme.  
Chiaki had that expression which made her look like an excited puppy on her face "Your promise to continue teaching me things, remember?"

Ah, /that/ promise. It all came flooding back to Hajime now and he smiled.

"Yes, I'll continue teaching you things. We'll play games together too, it'll be just like it used to be...Before I made the mistake of becoming Izuru Kamukura." he shuddered slightly "Because...because it was only after I'd lost what really mattered, that I truly understood what you told me when we first met." Hajime said quietly, getting lost in his thoughts again.

Chiaki's hug snapped him out of daydreaming again.

"You're just as well built as I remember you being..." she mumbled sleepily into his chest, her eyes closed.  
Hajime felt like his face was on fire as he blushed. 

 

Future Foundation had said that the 'survivors' of the Neo World programmes only had to check out the Kibougamine Safe House, that they didn't have to stay there if they didn't want to.

But, after what- or rather who- the survivors had found there, how on earth could they even think of leaving?

Everyone who had participated in the Neo World programmes may have set foot in Hope's Peak Academy before, however, it was only after returning that they could begin to truly believe that their futures were full of Hope.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, yeah, I cba with descriptions for every character in this fic bc there are so damn many. That's why I stuck to small details and only when it mattered.
> 
> Also, don't worry if your favourite characters weren't mentioned in this fic. They'll almost definitely make an appearance later on in this series.
> 
> Thanks for reading! ^u^ xxx


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